CYPHER/CAT'A'
PRICRITY HONG KONG
CONFIDENTIAL
TO FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE
DATED 14 NOVEMBER 1968
RECEIVED IN
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GRAM NUMBER 2176
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ARCHIVES No.31
1 5 NOV 1968
HWA 1/12
COPY
ADDRESSED FCO AS MY TELEGRAM NO. 2176 OF 14TH NOVEMBER RFI PEKING.
MY TELEGRAM NO. 2164: GREY AND PRISON VISITS.
THIRD MEETING WITH N.C.N.A. REPRESENTATIVES TOOK PLACE TODAY.
POLITICAL ADVISER REPEATED THAT WE COULD NOT ACCEPT THE TWO NEW
POINTS RAISED BY N.C.N.A. CGROUP VISITS AND PRESENTING THE THOUGHTS
OF MAO). N.C.N.A. REPRESENTATIVES RAPIDLY GAVE UP THESE TWO POINTS,
BUT SAYING THAT THEY THOUGHT OUR ATTITUDE UNREASONABLE AND RESERVED
THE RIGHT TO RAISE THE TWO POINTS AT SOME FUTURE DATE.
2. IT WAS THEN AGREED THAT VISITS TO THE CONVICTED NEWSWORKERS
WOULD TAKE PLACE AS IN APRIL LAST. 12 VISITORS FROM N.C.N.A. AND
COMMUNIST NEWSPAPERS WILL VISIT THE 11 REMAINING PRISONERS IN STANLEY
ON MONDAY, 18TH NOVEMBER AND THE TWO FEMALE PRISONERS AT LAI CHI KOK
ON TUESDAY, 19TH NOVEMBER.
3. N.C.N.A. REPRESENTATIVES THÈN TRIED TO GET POLITICAL ADVISER TO
AGREE THAT THE MAJORITY OF PRISONERS WOULD BE VISITED FOR MORE THAN
20 MINUTES. POLITICAL ADVISER REFUSED TO AGREE TO ANY SUCH SPECIFIC
UNDERTAKING. HE SAID THAT AS IN APRIL THE NORMAL MAXIMUM LENGTH OF
VISIT WOULD BE 20 MINUTES BUT, WHERE NECESSARY, THE PRISON AUTHOR-
ITIES WOULD ALLOW THE INTERVIEW TO CONTINUE FOR SOME MINUTES BEYOND
THAT LIMIT. THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE APRIL PRECEDENT WOULD BE
FOLLOWED WAS ACCEPTED BY N.C.N.A,
WHEN
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